Court reporters testify on Routier's transcript

DALLAS (AP) The troublesome transcript of the Darlie Routier capital murder trial, which almost landed a court reporter in jail, was the subject of further controversy in an appeal hearing Friday.

Three court reporters testified that they found discrepancies in the Routier transcript, which was prepared by court reporter Sandra M. Halsey.

In asking for the hearing, Mrs. Routier's appellate attorneys claimed there were problems with the transcript.

Until those problems were fixed, the appeal was unable to move forward, attorneys said.

Mrs. Routier, 28, is on death row for the June 1996 killing of her son Damon in the family's Rowlett home, about 20 miles east of Dallas.

Her 6-year-old son Devon also died in the attack, which she claims was the work of an intruder.

She was not tried in the second death.

During Mrs. Routier's trial, jurors asked for a portion of testimony from her husband, Darin Routier, to be transcribed. Defense attorney Stephen Cooper said when the entire record was transcribed again after the trial, the testimony was slightly different.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ordered Ms. Halsey to spend 72 hours in jail and pay a $500 fine for failing to produce a completed transcript on time. Court records show she was given three extensions in preparing the 15,000-page document.

Ms. Halsey, through her attorney, had claimed there were technical problems with the document.

State District Judge Robert Francis could order a review of all 53 volumes of the 1997 Routier trial transcript.

He already granted the defense's motion to review portions of the transcript.